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Ankle Armour


Ubute

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On 12/8/2020 at 6:05 AM, Ubute said:

I wouldn't still be practicing without my hard shell ankle armour. The original hit on my ankle bone two weeks ago is still swollen and sore to the touch. There's no way I would risk another hit on that place with just socks or neoprene to protect it.

In fact confidence, or the lack of it, is my greatest challenge as I approach my 72nd birthday next week. Down here in the south of Tasmania I don't know anyone else who rides unicycles. In fact I'd never even seen one in the flesh until I unboxed mine. Anticipating doubters and nay-sayers, I planned to practice in secret at home before I rode out triumphantly in public, but my excitement got the better of me and I told a few friends. Wrong move! My premonitions were right and everyone has been incredulous at best, downright dismissive at worst. "Bloody idiot", "Death wish", "I hope you're insured", were among the more restrained responses. I suppose this is to be expected from my demographic cohort, some with one foot in god's waiting room. Disappointingly, not a single person has said, "Good on you", or "You're brave, go for it!" I'd prefer to learn in an encouraging and supportive environment and it's hard to stay confident when everyone's convinced you're going to seriously hurt yourself. I'llĀ have to make do with a sense of defiance to prove them all wrong.

Without the supportive messages I've received on this forum I wouldn't have taken this on. I proudly tell my detractors about the encouragement I've received from Finland, Sweden, France, the UK, USA... from people who can ride and believe I can do it too. Thanks.

I admire men of mature years, doing what they want to do. Kudos on you for challenging your body to keep up with your mind. No matter what we try, we all wind up in the same place. All those naysayers can kiss your ass. You do YOU and the rest can finish closing that pine box behind them! Everyone dies, not every one Lives until the end! Keep at that shit for as long as you want to!

Edited by ShanesPlanet
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:clap3:Ā  :cheers:

You had me hanging on every word. Congratulations! It is starting to happen for you. And here is some better news for you! From this point it gets easier and easier to make improvement.

Your post here seemed so familiar, perhaps because my learning was very similar. I went to a basketball court and had to wait for people to leave, or I would stop as people came around. I was not ready for people to see me struggle ... there was some pride involved. And then when I did get a roll going, the wheel was in charge of where I went went for a while.

I sincerely admire your determination. Building a railing to practice on when you could not find an adequate one that met your needs deserves a serious and respectful WOW!

3 hours ago, Ubute said:

but I still can't step on unaided. When I can do that consistently I'll emerge from the carport and launch myself into public open spaces.

I do not need to give you any cautions here, because it is obvious that you think things through carefully. But I want to just to clear my conscious. Be selective of where you ride in public spaces in the next phase of learning. Stay well away from people and their property (cars, etc).

Everybody learns this hobby / sport differently. Some pick up the mounting quickly and for some it was a struggle. For me ... struggle. After I could ride and steer well, minus the mounting, I selected areas to ride where there are lots of railings, sign posts, etc. to use as a helpful hand hold as I mounted. I recommend the same for you. Just ride between your hand holds for a while. Plan your stops and dismounts near one. You should be able to leave your carport railing once you can cruise around and steer well enough to stop near a hand hold.Ā 

As you ride around a larger space practice area, you will naturally practice mounting just to free yourself to be able to go anywhere. They don't have to be pretty, just reliable.

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Thanks Scottie for the encouraging words. I had it in my head that you have to be able to mount and dismount before you can ride, but of course you don't have to if there's something to cling to at the end. I take your word of caution about mixing with the public too soon. Technically in Australia you are not allowed to ride PEVs anywhere except on private land but some states seem to be relaxing or ignoring this. Not so Tasmania, so far, but there is a recreation ground down by the river which has a large bitumen area, originally for Fire Fighter's games in the 1960's. Plenty of room to blunder about and not too many people.

It might be a day or two before I get there, though, because yesterday a group of us kayaked 15km down the aforementioned Huon River through numerous rapids and today my legs hardly work at all!

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1 hour ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Ā 

@UbuteĀ  From what I gather, you're supposed to float down the river, not walk it ;)

Ha ha. TBH, with several novices, multiple capsizes, near disasters and long portages, dragging kayaks and canoes over slippery stones, the whole trip took 6 hours. One couple did actually get out and walk!

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Could someone please explain what these cheerful sounding "Bing Bong, Bong Bing" beeps mean on my V8F? It used to only do it when I turn it on and off but today it was doing it continuously but randomly as I was riding up and down the carport. It also makes those noises in response to Darkness Bot, but I have that turned off.

As a beginner wobbling along slowly I doubt these are cut-out warnings.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey @Ubute, how has it been going for you these past couple weeks? Are you working yourself away from the carport rail more and more?

I am hoping that in two or three months, realistically, that you are able to safely ride by the doubters and nay-sayers with a big toothy grin. :D

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Hi @Scottie, yes, I'm moving away from the rail gradually. I'm now riding diagonally across the carport to deny myself any support as I launch off. It's amazing how challenging that was the first few times, like the difference between walking along a plank on the ground and walking along it a metre up. Same thing, more fear. I can also free mount and ride diagonally across if I start in the corner next to the rail, but It's so much more difficult to commit if starting in a non-railing corner.

I had my first real fall last week. I messed up mounting away from the railing and tripped over the wheelĀ as I leapt off. I landed heavily on the concrete and really appreciated my safety gear. No abrasions at all but I badly jarred my elbow. My elbow pads are the one remaining el-cheapo item of my protective gear, just a plastic shell without padding. Ironically I ordered a better pair the night before.

Falling's a big deal at my age and I'm grateful to have got away with it. My wife and I went away on a wilderness camp for the next few days so I've had time for my arm to loosen up a little. Injuries linger longer than they used to... But I've been back on the wheel again today feeling I've passed some sort of test. I can "take a fall".

Learning to ride on my own, I'm really trying to teach myself in a methodical way, step by step, not moving on too far until I can do the last thing. The way I always should have learnt stuff but never had the patience to. Well I seem to have it now. Riding up and down the carport almost every day I'm becoming gradually more relaxed, I'm standing up straighter, more able to deal with the second foot not being in exactly the right place, learning I can steer by just looking where I want to go. Magic!

I feel like a fledgling flapping its wings on the edge of the nest. I need more space, open space, but I'm not quite ready to fly.

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Ā 

18 hours ago, Ubute said:

Falling's a big deal at my age and I'm grateful to have got away with it. ...... But I've been back on the wheel again today feeling I've passed some sort of test. I can "take a fall".

I am glad to know that you are relatively undamaged from the fall. Hopefully your good elbow pads arrive soon. But it is good to know that we can survive a fall. Through all my learning phases, I was on the ground a few times, and was also heartened to know that I could go down and get back up, like the old days.

Once your out there rolling around better, keep that speed under control ... not much faster than the young version of you could run. That way you should be be able to do an easy bail off/run off if needed and stay on your feet. Or if not, the fall should be minor. Ā 

Ā 

18 hours ago, Ubute said:

I can also free mount and ride diagonally across if I start in the corner next to the rail, but It's so much more difficult to commit if starting in a non-railing corner.

Keep mounting in your good corner for the good practice, until you have convinced yourself that you will be okay in the non-rail corner.

Ā 

18 hours ago, Ubute said:

learning I can steer by just looking where I want to go. Magic!

The Magic is the best part! :efefd0f676:

Ā 

18 hours ago, Ubute said:

I feel like a fledgling flapping its wings on the edge of the nest. I need more space, open space, but I'm not quite ready to fly.

I had those same thoughts. I live at the end of a quiet street and did most of my practice in front of my house because there was a basketball goal post to help me mount. I remember that once I was able to circle around pretty good, I would look down the street wondering and carefully daring myself for a while to head down the street. Then one day ...! :smartass:

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I ventured out of my carport today for the first time. I met a woman and her children who were all riding in the park and I was inspired to join them. I stayed near a railing, but I was out there in public. Funny how difficult it is to cross these little psychological boundries, but I feel so much freer now.

Ā 

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I'm very happy, and a little proud, to be now riding out and about in public. It's true, now I've left the safety of my carport railing my confidence and competence have increased exponentially. I find myself able to ride on grass and bumpy, broken concrete. I'm riding up hill and considerably more nervously downhill. I can now lap the house, transiting from concrete to grass, uphill and downhill, taking tight turns and passing through gates. I did three laps yesterday without putting a foot down or holding on. The hardest thing is turning corners while holding back going downhill.

I've been riding along the walking path on the Franklin river foreshore where there are pedestrians. I'm still unstable and flailing the arms a bit and people get out of the way when they see me coming. One old lady stepped off the path into the bushes and said, "Safer for both you and me, dear." Because I'm obviously a gentleman of a certain age and not a young hoodlum tearing up the footpaths, reactions have been positive. I think people are more concerned for my safety than their own. I've got a bicycle bell but so far I've just been calling out.

I'd got a bit lazy about practicing stepping on but a couple of times out in public I had to jump off away from support and I just stepped on and rode off again. I'm also learning to kick the wheel away if I have to bail out so it doesn't attack me from behind. Sometimes the wheel stays upright and rolls away and I run after it and grab it. One day I'll run after it and jump on again like Wrong Way does.

Thanks @Scottie and everyone else on this forum who have offered support and encouragement.Ā  I think I can now call myself a genuine EUC rider.

I've started a private Facebook group, the Franklin Unicycle Club. You have to come and ride here to join. We have two members and two more who are children, so I've started the Franklin Unicycle Club Kids. All jolly good fun for a silly old geezer.

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7 hours ago, Ubute said:

I'm still unstable and flailing the arms a bit and people get out of the way when they see me coming.

Now that you are rolling, improvement will accelerate. The arm flailing will subside pretty quickly as your feet and legs firm up and and learn what they are doing reflexively. Your upper body will also begin to execute better balancing motions. Soon your arms will feel like they having nothing to do. :laughbounce2:

7 hours ago, Ubute said:

One old lady stepped off the path into the bushes and said, "Safer for both you and me, dear." Because I'm obviously a gentleman of a certain age and not a young hoodlum tearing up the footpaths, reactions have been positive.

That made me smile as soon as I read that. :) Yes, I can imagine a gentleman like you getting the respect. In a few more weeks, the respect from the people will turn to amazement when you roll by large and in charge. Ā 

Ā 

7 hours ago, Ubute said:

One day I'll run after it and jump on again like Wrong Way does.

I get the feeling you may be saying that sarcastically. But don't rule it out ... could happen someday.Ā  :eff034a94a:Ā  But don't do that too soon ... self preservation please. I want to read about your exploits for a long time. :efefe00999:

7 hours ago, Ubute said:

I think I can now call myself a genuine EUC rider.

:smartass:Ā  :clap3::cheers: After a couple more weeks to steady yourself up on the wheel, go ride by those naysayers.Ā :roflmao:

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  • 2 weeks later...

There's a picture at the end of the previous page. The dents don't look so "massive" from this angle, but the fibreglass is crushed and the aluminium dented in. I straightened it out after each hit. It completely protected the injury in exactly that spot.

Ā 

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Now I sit back and wait to hear about some of your adventures as you ride and explore, and your thoughts on the matter. :popcorn:Ā  What to call the new thread?Ā  :efefd0f676:

Edited by Scottie
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/8/2020 at 6:05 AM, Ubute said:

I wouldn't still be practicing without my hard shell ankle armour. The original hit on my ankle bone two weeks ago is still swollen and sore to the touch. There's no way I would risk another hit on that place with just socks or neoprene to protect it.

In fact confidence, or the lack of it, is my greatest challenge as I approach my 72nd birthday next week. Down here in the south of Tasmania I don't know anyone else who rides unicycles. In fact I'd never even seen one in the flesh until I unboxed mine. Anticipating doubters and nay-sayers, I planned to practice in secret at home before I rode out triumphantly in public, but my excitement got the better of me and I told a few friends. Wrong move! My premonitions were right and everyone has been incredulous at best, downright dismissive at worst. "Bloody idiot", "Death wish", "I hope you're insured", were among the more restrained responses. I suppose this is to be expected from my demographic cohort, some with one foot in god's waiting room. Disappointingly, not a single person has said, "Good on you", or "You're brave, go for it!" I'd prefer to learn in an encouraging and supportive environment and it's hard to stay confident when everyone's convinced you're going to seriously hurt yourself. I'llĀ have to make do with a sense of defiance to prove them all wrong.

Without the supportive messages I've received on this forum I wouldn't have taken this on. I proudly tell my detractors about the encouragement I've received from Finland, Sweden, France, the UK, USA... from people who can ride and believe I can do it too. Thanks.

I am also 72 and got my first EUC three weeks ago. It is Inmotion V10F and I already put 300 km on it. To me learning to ride it was much easier then I anticipated.Ā Ā Took about two hours on a tennis court to learn getting on and off it, move straight and make wide turns. So far the only fall happenedĀ when I tried to master riding on one foot. Friends and relatives demonstrated support to my new hobby; my wife, who is in her 50s, is also planning to learn. Here in Washington DC suburbs weĀ have many nice trails and plenty ofĀ deserted streets which makes it ideal for riding EUC but so far I only met just one rider.

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8 hours ago, Nestor said:

I am also 72 and got my first EUC three weeks ago. It is Inmotion V10F and I already put 300 km on it. To me learning to ride it was much easier then I anticipated.Ā Ā Took about two hours on a tennis court to learn getting on and off it, move straight and make wide turns. So far the only fall happenedĀ when I tried to master riding on one foot. Friends and relatives demonstrated support to my new hobby; my wife, who is in her 50s, is also planning to learn. Here in Washington DC suburbs weĀ have many nice trails and plenty ofĀ deserted streets which makes it ideal for riding EUC but so far I only met just one rider.

Congratulations! It's fabulous you've learnt so quickly. 300km in the first three weeks is very impressive. I took longer but I'm happy with my progress and am now riding freely on trails and bike paths. There's more and more of us older blokes riding these things.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/17/2021 at 10:55 AM, Scottie said:

Now I sit back and wait to hear about some of your adventures as you ride and explore, and your thoughts on the matter. :popcorn:Ā  What to call the new thread?Ā  :efefd0f676:

@Ubute Hopefully all is well with you and the riding.

What was your most interesting ride like this past month? And then, 2nd most interesting? :efee47c9c8:Ā 

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On 3/4/2021 at 3:00 AM, Ubute said:

I'm happy with my progress and am now riding freely on trails and bike paths.

Great story. I'm glad your hard work paid off and you are now enjoying the fruits of your labours. Very clever building your own ankle armour.Ā :thumbup:

Keep us posted on your adventures.

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You really only need a pair of High NikeĀ Air force 1's I've been using this modelĀ religiously and almost exclusivelyĀ for the past 15 years. I have never had ankle issues or damage with them in my 4 years as an euc rider, and i have had a few nasty high speed crashes in my time. Also had a few pedals slamming into my ankles while wearing these but have always been completely unscathed.

Get ones with straps, tie the laces on the inside of the tongue (of the shoes) through theĀ "Nike" logo cloth slipĀ on the inside of the shoe and you won't have to ever tie them again. Leave the two top lace-holes unlaced (like in the picture), put them on preferably with a shoehorn, and simply strap in to secure the shoes to your feet.

This way the shoe will be easy to put on, but impossible to get off when strapped in. Also your feet will be completely 100% locked in and they won't slip back and forth within the shoe, even the tiniest bit, when hard accelerating or braking. This gives one a far improved sense of responsiveness and security from whichever unicycle compared to other types of shoes. Also they last for years.

Currently rocking these ones.

download.jpg

Edited by xiiijojjo
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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you @Scottie and @VikB for your interest in my progress. I love riding my wheel and have been exploring the extensive bike trails around Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania. My longest ride so far was 14km, which didnā€™t test the range of the V8F but did leave me pretty tired and sore because I had a fall. I lost it on a tight turn from the trail onto a road which had a very steep camber. Not a high speed crash and my safety gear saved me, but I regretted abandoning my padded shorts because I ended up with a nasty bruise on my hip. This is a danger area for over 70ā€™s. Iā€™d abandoned the shorts because they are uncomfortable to sit in while driving to rides and are a hassle to change into in public. After the crash I decided to wear them again and removed the offending bum pad, reckoning you fall forwards on a unicycle, not on your backside. Then my friend Jessica told me sheā€™d fallen on her tailbone learning to jump. Oh well, Iā€™m not learning tricks, so Iā€™m OK!

Because I live in a rural area there are no paved bicycle paths nearby and I have to drive 45km to Hobart. Around here there are only narrow roads full of logging trucks and riding in public places is technically illegal. On our property and the surrounding neighbours there are endless farm tracks and steep grassy paddocks beckoning me, but although the V8F is remarkably agile, it skids badly on steep grass. Despite assuring my wife the V8F would suffice, Iā€™m already eyeing off a KingSong S18! Another friend has one and has put a knobby tyre on it. He canā€™t understand why it doesnā€™t come as standard.

On a recent trip I decided to ride over the Tasman Bridge, Hobartā€™s answer to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge was built too small, with only four lanes of traffic. They were immediately converted to five lanes with the middle lane reversing in direction. The lanes are so narrow youā€™re almost touching mirrors with trucks and buses and the outside lanes have a metre high concrete wall to scratch your mirrors along. The speed is 70km/hr. On top of the wall on each side, behind a railing, is the ā€œcycle pathā€. This is too narrow for two walkers to pass shoulder to shoulder without turning sideways. At one stage a bicycle passed me and I had to squash against the railing for him to pass, his handlebars grazing my chest. If you stick your arm out over the railing youā€™ll have it chopped off by a bus. This is a thoroughly intimidating scenario.

I rode up the spiral ramp to the cycleway and contemplated the narrow path between two railings climbing skywards to the apex of the bridge 400m away. The bridge is high and windy and trucks passing at your elbow blast you off course. It wasnā€™t long before I clipped a pedal on the outside railing and came down. I managed to grab the railing and avoided hitting the pavement, but the wheel spun out behind me. I was already thinking Iā€™d just ride to the apex and turn back, but before I reached it I crashed again. This time my wheel ended up on the edge of the cycleway, inches from falling into the path of the traffic. The uprights of the railing are so far apart that a bicycle could fall through. I was suddenly overcome by dread. What if my 15kilo wheel had gone through the windscreen of an oncoming car? I could have caused a massive pile up on the bridge. Shaken less by my fall than the thought of lurid headlines and the end of my life as I know it, I walked the wheel back down.

I think Iā€™ll stick to off-road riding where the biggest danger is falling into a Wombat burrow or being attacked by a Tasmanian Tiger. I have to admit Tasmania is a bit of a back-water. I think there are only 3 adults riding EUC and 3 or 4 kids. One of them was riding at 3 years old and is now 4. All are members of my exclusive Facebook group, the Franklin Unicycle Club and its offshoot, Franklin Unicycle Club Kids. Sorry, EUC fans who like to join everything, you have to actually ride at Franklin to become a member!

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